Claimed by the Sheikh. Rachael Thomas

not the place for such discussions so he left, pulling the door closed again, and walked back to the depressing and claustrophobic kitchen, all sorts of questions racing through his mind.

      Moments later, she stood in the doorway, hands on hips, her body poised as if ready for battle. ‘Give me one good reason why I should care what your people say of me, why I should care if my reputation is ruined, as you so nicely put it?’ Fighting spirit resounded in her voice but he refused to rise to the bait.

      ‘Your family.’

      * * *

      Pain lanced through Amber as she looked at Kazim’s questioning face. ‘I haven’t seen my family since the day after we got married.’

       The day you rejected me as if I were an unwanted parcel.

      When her father had sent her away she’d begged her mother to help her, but her mother, committed to the ways of the desert, had turned her back on her, just as she had the Western world from which she’d come. To Amber’s mother, arranged marriages were now normal and acceptable. It was as if she was trying to erase her English ancestry and, along with it, the scrapes her daughter, Amber, had got into at boarding school.

      Lost in thought, Kazim’s next words hurtled her back to reality, dragging her back from the hurt of her parents’ rejection and disappointment.

      ‘So you turned your back on your family as well as your heritage, to come to Paris and work in a club.’ He folded his arms across his chest, his dark eyes glaring accusingly at her, and she thought he was going to taunt her again, almost force her to admit to being a stripper instead of a waitress.

      Did he really think she’d willingly left everyone behind?

      She deflected the hurt, just as she had done on their wedding day, allowing all that pain to turn to anger. If he wanted to think badly of her then it could only help her cause to be free. He might be the man she’d loved from first sight, the man she’d dreamed of raising a family with, but he was also the man who would never love her. It was time she accepted that and moved on.

      ‘Where I work and what I do there is irrelevant,’ she snapped at him, wishing she’d never let him into the flat. But this needed finishing; she needed to be free of him. ‘What is important is that here, with the two people who mean more to me than anyone else, I am needed and wanted.’

      The only other person who’d ever made her feel needed and wanted was her grandmother, and Amber had missed her terribly since she’d passed away. So, since Annie and little Claude had stumbled into her life, Amber was happy for the first time in many years. They more than made up for the fact that the only job she could get without proof of identity was in the club.

      ‘You are needed in Barazbin.’ Like an arrow, his reply shot across the room, the words wounding deeply.

      ‘Needed, maybe,’ she said in a soft teasing voice, her head to one side as she shrugged her shoulders, trying hard to appear indifferent. ‘But not wanted, Kazim. Not by you.’

      ‘My father is ill,’ he said, his face paling and his eyes becoming haunted. For a moment she felt his pain, wanted to reach out to him, but she couldn’t. To show such weakness would be fatal. ‘It is my duty to secure the future of Barazbin.’

      ‘That still doesn’t have to include me, not when we haven’t seen each other since our wedding day. You even admitted my reputation would be brought into question. Your duty doesn’t have to include me.’ She clung to the hope that he would see she was far from suitable to be his princess, especially now. But his decisive stance warned her that such hope was futile.

      ‘You are my wife.’ He stepped towards her, the words coming out slowly and firmly, the air around her becoming thick and heavy as he towered over her, making breathing normally difficult. ‘And you will come back with me.’

      Amber sighed. When was he going to get it? To understand he couldn’t just dismiss her from his life then drag her back into it when it suited him? ‘That little boy needs me.’ She pointed towards the bedroom door where Claude lay sleeping.

      ‘And why is it so important that you are here, when you are not his mother?’ He sounded angry now, as if his patience had slipped away to nothing. ‘If I didn’t know better, I would question exactly whose child it is.’

      How could he even think such a thing? She had never been intimate with a man. All she’d done was heed her mother’s warning of Kazim’s reputation with women and had tried to be something she wasn’t. A seductress. The disgust she’d seen on Kazim’s face plagued her still.

      Amber groaned heavily, tired of talking in circles, and repeated herself. ‘I’m staying here, Kazim, where I’m needed and wanted.’

      ‘Why?’ Suspicion laced the word and she knew he wouldn’t give up until he knew the truth.

      ‘Claude needs an operation. A life-changing operation, one that will mean he can walk and grow up as normally as possible.’ As much as she tried, she couldn’t keep the passion from her voice. Meeting Claude and Annie had been life-saving for her and she wanted to give something back to the two people in the world who’d stood by her when nobody else had. If they hadn’t come into her life when they did, she would have been homeless.

      He stood tall and firm, his handsome face furrowed into a frown as he digested the information. ‘That is no excuse at all. Why do you have to stay?’

      ‘Have you no idea of real life, Kazim?’ Now she was angry. ‘Annie is a single mother. One who works hard to provide for her son, and yes, she works as a dancer in the club. Do you know why? Because Claude needs to go to America as soon as possible for operations that will cost more than Annie can ever dream of earning in a regular job.’

      ‘So why are you involved?’ he snapped angrily. ‘What about her family? The child’s father?’

      Amber remembered the day Annie had told her that she and Claude were alone in the world. All of Amber’s own pain and misery at Kazim and her parents’ rejection paled into nothing. Helping Annie had become her focus in life.

      ‘They disowned her.’ She stood fiercely, looking into his eyes. ‘And I know exactly what that feels like.’

      ‘Your family disowned you?’ Shock resonated in his deep voice and he came closer to her—too close.

      ‘After you sent me away, yes, I was disgraced in my family’s eyes, forced to leave Quarazmir to avoid the scandal. I was disowned. Just as Annie was.’ It was that one connection that had created a very strong bond between the two of them. ‘Because of that, I intend to do all I can to help her.’

      Amber watched as Kazim took a deep breath in through his nose and could see the anger bubbling inside him. His lips pressed together in a firm line as he exhaled and she felt a dart of satisfaction rush through her. Finally, he was realising the implications of what he’d done.

      A key turning in the front door drew their attention and he looked at her in question. Seconds later, Annie breezed in, her usual buoyant self. ‘Oh, what a night,’ she whispered then stopped as she saw Kazim, her eyes wide with shock.

      ‘Annie, this is Kazim. I was just telling him about Claude.’ Amber saw the usual sadness wash over her friend’s face and hated that she’d had to mention it.

      ‘I’ll just go and check on him and leave you to it. If you want me to, that is.’ Annie looked from Kazim to Amber, a worried expression on her face.

      Amber’s heart warmed at the genuine concern her friend was showing. It seemed that Kazim didn’t completely intimidate her and that, if need be, she’d stand by her friend.

      ‘I’m fine, thanks, Annie,’ she whispered and gave her a reassuring smile, all the while feeling Kazim’s eyes on her.

      ‘If you need anything, though,’ Annie said softly before she slipped into Claude’s room and they were alone again.

      Amber felt drained, too tired